Englands Wants: Or Several Proposals Probably Beneficial for England

1685. London: London: R. Baldwin, 1689. 38 pp. 3rd ed. London: London: R. Baldwin, 1689. 38 pp. 3rd ed. A Seventeenth-Century Plan to Reform English Law Chamberlayne, Edward [1616-1703]. England's Wants; Or, Several Proposals Very Advantageous for England. Humbly Offered to the Consideration of the Two Houses of Parliament, Now Assembled at Westminster, Under Our Most Gracious Lord and Lady, King William and Queen Mary. By Dr. Chamberlaine, Author of The Present State of England. [London]: Printed for R. Baldwin in the Old-Baily, 1689. 38 pp. Quarto (8" x 5-3/4"). Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent period-style quarter speckled calf over marbled boards, gilt title to spine. Moderate toning to interior, light soiling to margins, last two leaves lightly edgeworn and reinforced at margins without loss, small ink "21" to foot of title page. A nice copy. $650. * Third and final edition. First printed shortly after the Restoration of Charles II in 1667, Chamberlayne's pamphlet proposed seventy-four reforms to the legal system, most notably in property law. A postscript to the work advocates the creation of a general register for titles and deeds, wading into what would become a spirited and lengthy public debate not fully resolved until 1925. Chamberlayne, an English nobleman and diplomat, is best known as the author of The Present State of England (1669). He held an LL.D. from Cambridge and a D.C.L. from Oxford. OCLC locates 4 copies of the third edition, 1 in North America (Johns Hopkins). The ESTC adds 3 North American copies (Library of Congress, Folger Shakespeare, California State Library). English Short-Title Catalogue (ESTC) R32612.